At Home and Abroad

Ryan's kayaking trip

2012-02-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ryan went kayaking last Saturday and sent me some pictures.

I also have some great news to share: I am going to be with Ryan in just a few days! We are meeting in Florida for President's Day weekend. I can't wait to see him.

We have also reached the halfway-point of our separation. Only six more weeks to go.

I will be moving into our new apartment soon. I should have us moved in and set up by the time Ryan and I get to be together again. I am excited!

The gossip table

2012-02-08T00:40:00.001-07:00

Gossiping is probably older than the oldest profession. The gossip table, however, came into play much later.

With the advent of the telephone, a lady needed somewhere to sit while discussing news with her darlings. In the days of party lines, a lady might just need a comfortable place to sit while listening in on the neighbors' phone calls. There were plenty of times when a lady needed to sit by the phone to wait for a call from an admirer.

And so the creation of the gossip table, a fashionable place for a lady to conduct her business.

Even as a lady who does not own a landline, I feel it would be fashionable, classy and possibly snobby to own a vintage telephone table. Therefore, I have started to browse online for the new furnishing for my home. Here are a few of my finds.

Stef of Girl.Inspired found an antique gossip table for ten dollars. She gave it a makeover and now has this darling gossip table in her entryway.

It would be cool if I could follow Stef's example by salvaging a great find and updating it.

This modern cottage gossip bench is made by Southern Enterprises and can be found here. A throw pillow or chair cushion would be add a splash of color and would be a necessity of comfort. I'm thinking black-and-white toile or polka dot.

Palindrome at Home found a great gossip table on Craig's List. Table comes with a footrest which opens for storage space.

Magdeline of Ms. Magdeline Marie found this classy gossip table. This particular shade of green is not my favorite, but it still is a great piece.

Here are some ideas of vintage and reproduction telephones to add to your decor:

Clockwise from top left: Vintage Rotary Phone; 1920's black phone; vintage gas pump phone; pink 1922-reproduction phone; Eiffel Tower phone; vintage phones; Victorian-reproduction phone; shabby chic yellow phone

From Ryan

2012-02-06T22:23:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple pictures Ryan sent me. He spent most of Saturday at the beach!

I miss him, but we already have one month of separation behind us. Only two more months to go!

Ha ha - his eyes are closed. He still looks great, though.

Blue sky and sandy beach

Floating

2012-02-06T00:02:00.003-07:00

I started out checking my email; then Pinterest; then I ended up here.

I love the blue and white hues; the clouds are incredible.

Vintage Valentine

2012-02-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day is coming up. Here are some vintage Valentine's Day cards for you to enjoy.

Vintage Valentines from Dover Publications and The Graphics Fairy.

The Dowager Countess

2012-02-03T00:14:00.003-07:00

Words of Wisdom

from

The Dowager Countess Grantham

{Downton Abbey, Season 2 Episode 1}

"The truth is neither here nor there; it's the look of the thing."

"Edith! You are a lady, not Toad of Toad Hall."

Buffy's mohawk

2012-01-31T21:59:00.002-07:00

Look how much Buffy's feathers have grown. She looks so weird.

Although she has not yet returned to the egg-laying business, she is once again a healthy little bird who loves string cheese and cooked rice.

Balding Buffy

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Poor Buffy has been in bad shape for a couple of months. You may remember how she almost became chicken dinner to some wild animal (click here if you need reminding). Then she had chicken cellulitis. She lost weight and was looking pretty sad when I left her to go to D.C. While I was gone, my mom and dad looked after her. Not wanting me to worry, they did not tell me that she stuck her head in her heat lamp and singed the feathers off the back of her head. You can imagine my horror when I got back in town and saw Buffy looking like a baby vulture.

I am happy to report that Buffy has been acting healthier and has even started to grow new feathers on the back of her head.

I am also happy to report that Buffy is moving to Maryland with me. When I fly back in a few weeks, she is coming with me. Our new apartment has an awesome patio with plenty of room for a little bird like Buffy. I also want to hang bird feeders and maybe even a birdhouse so we can have plenty of feathered friends at our porch.

The January scoop

2012-01-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

I have not posted very much this month, but it is not because I don't love my readers. Here is what has been going on this month.

Three months apart
Ryan and I said goodbye to each other on January 9th. He traveled to [somewhere] for a three-month assignment for work. Despite my best efforts, [the people Ryan works for] would not let me go with him. So I headed back to my parents' place to spend several weeks.

My parents probably regret inviting me to stay with them since I am basically a wreck without my better half. I think about Ryan all the time, I wait all day for his phone call and then I pout because we can't be together. I worry about him and I miss him. Pull yourself together, Amy!

Keeping busy while Ryan is away
While Ryan is off on assignment, I am trying to wrap things up on this side of the country so that I can transition to the east coast. So far, this has mostly involved gathering medical records and getting referrals to clinics near my new home. It has also involved getting things wrapped up with our move to our new apartment.

I also have plenty of projects I want to work on while I still have my mom around to help. I need to finish piecing my pinwheel quilt made with "Portugal" fabrics by Moda. I have made all the pinwheels, I now need to sew them all together.

This is the fabric line I am using to make my pinwheel quilt. "Portugal" by designer April Cornell for Moda.

Pancreatitis flare-up

The worst thing about this month has been dealing with a flare-up of my ongoing pancreatitis. I have had a surge in pain and nausea. I spent last week on a jello-and-toast diet. I have a sinus infection, which contributes to the exacerbation of symptoms. Of course the stress of being separated from Ryan has probably contributed too.

I have another procedure scheduled in two weeks. Until then, I will continue to struggle to manage symptoms. I really hope to stay out of the hospital, but honestly, that goal requires a lot of hard work to stay hydrated and to keep my pain under control.

The past few days have been especially bad. Being nauseated for so long has really made me cranky. While I was throwing up, I was sad that Ryan was not there to hold back my hair.

Downton Abbey

One of the best things about this month has been the return of Downton Abbey to American airwaves. In preparation for season two, I re-watched all of season one in just two days time. Now we are three episodes into season two and I am loving it.

For the sake of snobbery, I would like to brag about seeing Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) on the London stage. It was her breakthrough role as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion at the Old Vic Theatre. I mentioned it in my blog but mostly wrote about the food I ate. (Somehow I am not surprised.) I know I wrote about her performance in my journal, and I am anxious to look up that entry as soon as I am reunited with my stuff and I am able to unpack. I later read about a new BBC piece by Julian Fellowes and was excited to learn that my Eliza Doolittle was going to be the star. Now it seems everyone is talking about Downton Abbey and Michelle Dockery. Just remember: I knew about her first.

January at home

2012-01-23T22:12:00.002-07:00

We had two storms this past weekend, which means everything is covered with a layer of bright white snow.

My mom and I sent Ryan a package, in which we included packets of hot cocoa mix. We thought it would help him feel cozy on lonely winter nights. Now that I am posting these pictures and thinking about him, I realize he might not want hot cocoa, since it is not winter where he is. Maybe in my next package I should mail him some snow.

Snow birds

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

It was a snowy day today and we had a group of little birdies come to our patio in search of food. We are out of wild birdseed, so we gave them some of Buffy's chicken scratch.

I was not able to get a head shot of this Rufous-sided Towhee. They sure are pretty birds.

Nausea leads to...

2012-01-19T18:03:00.001-07:00

I have been a little too nauseous for a little too long. That must explain why I watched this video twice.

A Country Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-11T14:44:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Eve, we went to the house of a neighbor of C.'s parents. We enjoyed German food and then spent some time with the animals in their backyard.

Here is a picture of Ryan

J. and C. with the neighbor's dogs

First day in the District

2012-01-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

Ryan had the day off on Monday, so after we went apartment shopping, we went down to the District to play. We have driven through a couple of times, but Monday was our first time to go exploring.

First stop: Chinatown

Next stop: the International Spy Museum gift shop. We are saving our tour of the museum for another day.

FBI building, Pennsylvania Avenue

FBI seal

Me. Capitol.

Then two and one-third exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History.

Finished off the day with dinner in Chinatown.

I fell asleep on Ryan's shoulder during the Metro ride home. I am so glad to be here with him!

Official royal family photo - holiday 2011

2012-01-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

The royal family has released their official holiday photo of 2011.

As an added bonus, here is an unofficial photo released by the royal family for your viewing pleasure.

Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year!

New Year's Day 2012

2012-01-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

For New Year's Day, we went to the Washington, D.C. temple.

Here we are at the visitor's center.

We stayed to see the Christmas lights, then we went to a concert held as part of the Festival of Lights.

What a great way to start off the new year!

NYE 2011

2011-12-31T19:21:00.002-07:00

New Year's Eve. 9:00 p.m. Seedy motel. Somewhere in Maryland.
We had a last-minute change of plans. Details about that are not necessary to know that we are now in a grungy motel playing Monopoly Deal while we count down to the new year. It is a bummer, but we are both happy to be with each other! Happy New Year!

How does this work?

Happy to be together!

Kiss for the camera, but try not to laugh!

I got mail

2011-12-28T21:50:00.003-07:00

Why packages are awesome:

1. In this texting and tweeting world, it is really thoughtful of someone to take the time (and money) to drive to the post office, wait in long lines and ship a package.

2. Opening a package is like opening a little piece of home.

3. It feels like opening a present, even if you know what is inside.

Here is something special that Ryan and I received in a package from Grandma and Aunt Sara:

So cute!

Joy + luck

2011-12-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

"O ! Hwai dungsyi" - you bad little thing - said the woman, teasing her baby granddaughter. "Is Buddha teaching you to laugh for no reason?" As the baby continued to gurgle, the woman felt a deep wish stirring in her heart.

"Even if I could live forever," she said to the baby, "I still don't know which way I would teach you. I was once so free and innocent. I too laughed for no reason.

"But later I threw away my foolish innocence to protect myself. And then I taught my daughter, your mother, to shed her innocence so she would not be hurt as well.

"Hwai dungsyi, was this kind of thinking wrong? If I now recognize evil in other people, is it not because I have become evil too? If I see someone has a suspicious nose, have I not smelled the same bad things?"

The baby laughed, listening to her grandmother's laments.

"O! O! You say you are laughing because you have already lived forever, over and over again? You say you are Syi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of the Western Skies, now come back to give me the answer! Good, good, I am listening. . . .

"Thank you, Little Queen. Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever."

The Joy Luck Club

by Amy Tan

A country Christmas

2011-12-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I went to the Virginian countryside for Christmas with C. & J. and their family at C's parent's home. C. calls the area "the backwoods."

Our hosts were extremely gracious and went out of their way to make Ryan and I feel like family. We played games, ate food, watched movies, lounged and opened presents. The boys played football and went shooting.

Homemade pumpkin and apple crumble pie.

During a game of Quelf, Ryan had to sit on his hands, avoid eye contact and wear a self-made snorkel. I won. I also won the game of Catan. But who's keeping track?

The Christmas tree with lots of presents underneath.

Pumpkin bread

The table set for Christmas dinner

Thank you to our wonderful hosts who invited us into their home for a very merry Christmas!

Christmas presents

2011-12-25T14:04:00.002-07:00

Here we are reporting on our Christmas presents. Great gifts this year! Thanks everyone!

Thanksgiving recap

2011-12-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures from Thanksgiving, although they are mostly pictures of food.

C. and the raw bird

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Butter flake rolls

The Turkey: before and after
*Please notice my homegrown rosemary. There is also homegrown thyme in there, too.

Our feast was fabulous. How was yours?

East meets west

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my sister Julie decided she was too cool for the rest us peasants. So she moved to SoCal where she could hear the ocean in her bedroom. The longer she lived in the OC, the cooler she became, threatening never to return to her home state. I decided I would never forgive her for leaving - unless she moved back.

Then on one overcast day for me and a sunny beach day for Julie, she called and announced she had a few job offers back home and she was going to come back. I was finally ready to forgive her, although I told her I did not want to be her pen pal any longer. I would rather hang out with her in person.

A few smoggy days later, Ryan received the big phone call. The People wanted to hire him, but the permanent location was different than we were expecting; we were moving to D.C.

So it came to pass that Julie and I were to be reunited, but only for ten short, grey days.

Ryan and I asked her to spend one of those days with us on a play date. Here are the pictures.

Here we are at Julie's new house, where she is using my vintage library table as a desk.

We ate lunch at the Bun Basket.

With this strange twist of fate comes accusations that I am now too snobby for my home state, leaving her behind to go sailing in my Sperrys. How dare that peasant accuse moi of being too snobby!

. . .

By the way, here are some Sperrys Julie can buy me for my sailing trips.

Also, wanna be pen pals again?

Historic Savage Mill

2011-12-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

I took a little day trip to the historic Savage Mill. The cotton mill dates back to the 1820's. The mill generated power by damning the Little Patuxent river, on which the mill stands.

Some of the old brick buildings have been turned into shops. I found a two-dollar copy of The Joy Luck Club at a bookseller's, then I ate lunch at Bonaparte Breads.

Before I went to Savage, I stopped at the post Thrift store. I found a puzzle for 75 cents. I was excited to find something to work on in my CCC. I went to the cashier, and lucky for me, the clerk did not ask to see my CAC card. (I still do not have my special IDs. We tried unsuccessfully on Thursday morning. They said I can't get a card until Ryan gets his CAC card and he can't get his until he is in The System. And his division has not yet put him in The System.) The store only takes cash, and when I pulled out my wallet, I realized I had given all my cash to Ryan. I dug through my coins and was able to find exactly 75 cents. So things are going my way, even if it is just in small things like used puzzles.

We party in Silver Spring

2011-12-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

We went to Silver Spring to visit our friends Josh and Chelsea.

Ryan and Josh worked on a gingerbread tank.

I built a gingerbread Washington Monument.

This sign was posted in the elevator. It is not nice to steal other peoples' nutcrackers.

Here we are next to our Washington Monument.